METROLOGICAL BEHAVIOUR OF BULK WATER METERS UNDER DIVERSE INSTALLATION CONFIGURATIONS

ABSTRACT As the correct measurement is an essential part of water management, this study describes the metrological behaviour of a range of bulk water meters under different installation configurations. The meters analysed included the horizontal and vertical Woltman, singlejet, tangential and proportional. Configurations included straight pipe lengths; gate and butterfly valves at different degrees of closure, rotations and distances from the meter; meter with volumetric and reducing valves; reverse installation; and meter rotated 90° from the horizontal setting. The metrological behaviour under different flow conditions was analysed by comparison with electromagnetic and volumetric meters (ISO-4064). The horizontal Woltman showed no permissible errors with reverse installation; gate valve closed 75% and placed alongside the meter; and with butterfly valve closed 30°, non-rotated, and rotated right or left. The vertical Woltman gave no permissible errors with reverse installation. The single-jet meter did not show any errors above the permitted limit. The tangential meter had no permissible errors with reverse installation and in almost all configurations with gate and butterfly valves. The proportional meter showed no permissible errors with a gate valve at any degree of closure.